Auto Racing Notes: Pontiac's Lobbying Pays Off With Nascar Changes

Auto Racing Notes

May 06, 1994|By AL PEARCE Daily Press

The intense lobbying by NASCAR's beleaguered Pontiac teams paid off Wednesday withe aerodynamic changes designed to make its Grand Prix more competitive with Ford's Thunderbirds and Chevrolet's Luminas.

Effective May 21, the tour's five Pontiac teams may add 2 inches to their front air dam and bumper and 3 to their rear deck. Pontiacs will still be shorter than Fords and Chevys, but the changes should make them more stable, especially in the turns.

Pontiac won 11 races in '93, but its best finish this season was Michael Waltrip's third last weekend at Talladega.

ENDURO RESULTS. The Sunday afternoon Enduros continue to be among the most popular and profitable attractions at Langley Raceway in Hampton. Last weekend's race attracted 107 cars and 3,000 spectators.

Melanie Sydnor, Sharon West and Carol Bolduc were 1-2-3 in the women's 50-lapper. Rick Paul, Gene Benson and Don Holston were 1-2-3 in the men's 125.

LEWIS' PLANS. Second-year Late Model driver Ashton Lewis Jr. will bypass Langley this week to concentrate on a Monday test session at the Nazareth (Pa.) Speedway. He hopes to run its 200-mile Grand National race May 22.

Lewis is a former open-wheel racer who turned to NASCAR last year. He rented a ride for last year's Grand National race at Watkins Glen, then ordered a car from Rick Townsend with an eye toward the full '95 schedule.

T.W. Taylor, whose Winston Cup team helps promote the North Carolina-based charity, will have his No. 02 Ford at the track. Proceeds from an auction of racing memorabilia are earmarked for the Children's Hospital of Eastern North Carolina.

PLATE POWER. When Dale Earnhardt won last weekend in Talladega, Ala., it was the eighth consecutive victory for Chevrolet in ``restrictor plate'' races.

Ernie Irvan had three before switching to Ford, Earnhardt has three and Dale Jarrett and Sterling Marlin one each. All told, GM cars have won 20 of the 28 ``plate races'' since July of '87.

QUOTE, UNQUOTE. This from ex-NFL coach Jerry Glanville after last weekend's ARCA race in Talladega: ``I wouldn't trade today for the world. That's the most fun I've had since the sixth-grade picnic.''

Glanville started 22st, then parked his car after spinning with five laps remaining in the 117-lap race.

He hopes to run several more ARCA races this summer.

THIS WEEKEND. Local racing is tonight at Southside Speedway near Richmond. The Saturday night schedule includes East Carolina in Robersonville, N.C., Langley in Hampton, Southampton in Capron, Old Dominion in Manassas and at South Boston Speedway. The next show at Virginia Raceway near Saluda will be May 21.

NASCAR's Winston Cup cars have the weekend off, but its Busch Series is in Loudon, N.H., for a Saturday race. The NHRA is in Memphis and the IndyCar tour opens Indy 500 practice at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Formula One tour is off until the May 15 race in Monte Carlo.